Home Author
Author

Larry C. Johnson

Larry Johnson's current actions confirm that whoever tells the truth is a ipso facto anti-imperialist. Larry is today on the right side of history. His prior service with the CIA, State Counter-Terrorism and the US Military’s Special Operations community gives him a unique perspective on current events. He has been vilified by the right and the left, which means he must be doing something right. You can follow him on telegram (t.me/sonar_21 (https://t.me/sonar_21), Patreon and Substack (https://larrycjohnson.substack.com). He blogs at sonar21.com.

There was a mole /// Confirmed: Maduro Was Sold Out From The Inside

by Larry C. Johnson
written by Larry C. Johnson Approx. 2.75 Hrs • Watch/ read
Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
KIM IVERSEN • LARRY C. JOHNSON
Traducir—Translate!
Make fonts bigger>>>
Resize text-+=

Confirmed: Maduro Was Sold Out From The Inside
Kim Iversen

Jan 9, 2026
Larry Johnson is a former CIA officer and intelligence analyst, a former Deputy Director in the State Department’s Office of Counterterrorism, and spent 24 years training U.S. military Special Operations forces — giving him a rare, inside view of how intelligence and covert operations actually work. Read his insights at https://sonar21.com/

SPECIAL ADDENDUM

Did Russia Just Send a Message to Donald Trump? Who Ratted out Maduro?

by

On January 6, Russia launched three major missile strikes against US-owned facilities in Ukraine. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian ballistic missiles decimated  the Oleina oil extraction plant, which is owned by the American Bunge company from  Saint Louis. Its official name is the Dnipropetrovsk Oil Extraction Plant, located in Dnipro (formerly Dnipropetrovsk), central Ukraine. It is a major sunflower seed processing facility specializing in crushing, refining, and bottling sunflower oil.

Furthermore, in western Ukraine, in the Transcarpathian region, Russian kamikaze  drones, together with ballistic missiles, caused critical damage to the Flex plant,  which also belonged to American investors. Flex Ltd. (formerly Flextronics), a Singaporean-American company headquartered in Austin, Texas, operates a major manufacturing site in Mukachevo (Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine), which opened in 2012. This facility specializes in civilian electronics production (e.g., household appliances like coffee machines, printer components, and injection-molded plastics). It employs thousands and was significantly damaged in a previous Russian missile strike on August 21, 2025, injuring workers and sparking international commentary as an attack on US-owned infrastructure.

Russia also launched a massive missile attack on the American-owned marine terminal Olimpex, which is considered the largest in the Odessa region. This is the second time this year that Russia hit the terminal (I wrote about it in July). This terminal is one of the largest grain export facilities in the country, with an annual throughput capacity of up to 5 million tons. However, Ukraine was moving more than grain through Olimpex. According to witnesses, even though this facility was protected by Patriot air defense systems, the Russian missiles hit the terminal unimpeded. The subsequent explosions turned out to be so powerful that a supermassive mushroom cloud arose over Odessa, which indicates that this marine terminal contained numerous warehouses filled with NATO weapons.

I don’t know if this fulfills Russia’s promise to retaliate for the US-backed December 28 failed drone attack on Putin’s official residence in Novgorod, but I don’t think it's a coincidence that three US-owned facilities that appear to produce or warehouse weapons for the Ukrainian war effort were attacked on the same day.

Shifting gears to Venezuela, I think the two most likely candidates for the betrayal of Nicholas Maduro are:

  • Director of SEBIN: Major General Alexis Rodríguez Cabello Appointed in October 2024, he remains in position as of early January 2026. He is a cousin of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and has been sanctioned by the U.S. for alleged human rights abuses. The acronym SEBIN stands for Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional in Spanish. This translates to Bolivarian National Intelligence Service in English. It is Venezuela’s primary civilian intelligence and secret police agency, established in 2010 as a restructured successor to the former DISIP (Dirección de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevención). The agency reports to the executive branch (historically the Vice President) and has been widely criticized by human rights organizations for political repression, arbitrary detentions, and alleged torture.
  • Director of DGCIM (and Commander of the Presidential Honor Guard): Major General Gustavo González López Appointed by Delcy Rodríguez on January 6, 2026, replacing the previous director. González López is a longtime Chavista hardliner who previously served as SEBIN director (2019–2024) and Minister of Interior and Justice. The acronym DGCIM stands for Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar in Spanish. This translates to General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence in English. It is Venezuela’s military intelligence agency, responsible for countering espionage, monitoring potential threats within the armed forces, investigating alleged plots against the government, and handling internal security matters related to the military. The DGCIM has been widely accused by human rights organizations (including the United Nations) of systematic torture, arbitrary detentions, and extrajudicial actions as part of state repression.

Given Gustavo González López’s close ties with Delcy Rodríguez, I am inclined to believe that he was the one who made sure that Venezuela’s air defense systems were inactive during the US abduction of Nicholas Maduro. However, neither González López nor Rodríguez Cabello are named in the Maduro indictment… though Cabello’s cousin is a named defendant. Stay tuned.

I did three fascinating podcasts today. For the second consecutive year I did the first live podcast with the boys of the Duran. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Alex and Alexander in person yet, but we have developed a genuine friendship during the course of the war in Ukraine. My second adventure was with Danny Davis. I was late in arriving for the interview because I had written down the wrong start time. Still, we had a fascinating chat. Last, but not least, Mario Nawfal invited me back to discuss Venezuela. Mario accompanied the Judge and me when we did our interview last March with Sergei Lavrov:

420 COMMENTS
Below: Select Comment

GuyJR
GuyJR
10 hours ago

 Why Venezuela’s Military did Not Fight? A negotiated surrender.

“That being said, Delcy Rodríguez’s defiant televised address, condemning the US as an illegal invader, could be a performative act strictly in keeping with her side of a clandestine bargain…

Her public fury and vows of resistance provide essential political cover, allowing her to maintain credibility and authority with the Bolivarian base and military while privately adhering to the terms that permitted Maduro’s removal.

This calculated display of defiance ensures the Venezuelan government surviving architecture can manage the transition, positioning Rodríguez as a leader of “resistance” rather than a collaborator in a negotiated surrender.”

******************
“Yet despite Venezuela possessing advanced air defenses like the S-300 and portable MANPADS useful against helicopters, the Venezuelan military did not deploy them against the US assault.

Trump concluded by asserting that the United States maintained the option to execute further strikes against Venezuela if necessary.

The meticulously crafted narrative of a daring military raid, complete with operational specifics and tales of heroism, serves a crucial political purpose, to obscure the far more likely scenario of a negotiated surrender by Venezuela.

By glorifying the violent spectacle of a capture, the account actively suppresses the inconvenient truth that the operation’s success almost certainly required, and resulted from, a prior agreement with powerful factions within the Maduro regime itself.
The Venezuelan government and military’s primary allegiance was to its own institutional survival and the stability of the state it embodies.

This emphasis on overwhelming force masks a behind-the-scenes bargain where regime elites, particularly in the military and intelligence services, exchanged the president for guarantees of their own safety, political survival, and protection from prosecution, transforming a potential bloody invasion into a managed transition that served both the invading power and the existing power structure, at the expense of a revolutionary narrative.”

https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica3/globalelite_la581.htm

BEFORE you leave, PLEASE pay attention to this alert.
[t4b-ticker id="1"]

Print this article [bws_pdfprint display=’print’]
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post, although, if we publish them, we obviously find them noteworthy and valuable. 

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License • 
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Yes, the CIA is Lying About the Drone Attack on Putin

by Larry C. Johnson
written by Larry C. Johnson Approx 2 Hrs 20 mins • Watch / read
RUSSIAN OFFICERS ?
Be sure to share these materials with friends, kin, and workmates.
Larry C. JohnsonLarRy Johnsonsonar21
<• Choose your  language • Elija su idioma
Resize text-+=
 
Yes, the CIA is Lying About the Drone Attack on Putin

by

RUSSIAN OFFICERS ?

Didn’t take the CIA too long to try to debunk Russia’s claim that Ukraine, with the assistance of NATO intelligence, launched 91 drones at the official residence of Vladimir Putin in Novgorod… A CIA report was leaked to the media. The headlines last night — 31 December — in the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal insisted that the Russians were lying. The NY Times proclaimed: Ukraine Did Not Target Putin’s Home, C.I.A. Finds. The WSJ followed suit: U.S. Finds Ukraine Didn’t Target Putin in Drone Strike.

Here is a condensed summary of the WSJ article:

U.S. national security officials, including assessments from the CIA, concluded that Ukraine did not target Russian President Vladimir Putin or his Valdai country residence in northwestern Russia’s Novgorod region during a recent drone operation. This directly contradicts Moscow’s claims that Kyiv launched 91 drones in an assassination attempt on Putin over the weekend of December 28-29, 2025.

According to a U.S. official cited in the article, Ukrainian forces aimed at a military target in the same general region—one they had previously struck—but the site was not near Putin’s residence. No attack occurred on the residence itself.

The Russian accusation surfaced shortly after positive U.S.-brokered peace talks between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Ukraine denying the claims as an attempt to derail negotiations. President Trump initially expressed anger after Putin raised the issue in a phone call but later appeared to downplay it by sharing a New York Post editorial criticizing Russia’s “bluster” as obstructing peace.

Russia provided some details, including drone wreckage and flight path maps, but U.S. intelligence found no evidence supporting an intent to target Putin personally. The findings align with Ukraine’s denials and highlight tensions amid ongoing efforts to end the war.

Did you catch the Male Bovine Excrement (MBE) in the so called CIA debunking?

Ukrainian forces aimed at a military target in the same general region—one they had previously struck—but the site was not near Putin’s residence. No attack occurred on the residence itself.

How does the CIA know that the Ukrainians were aiming at a military target near the Putin residence since all of the drones were shot down? Did the Ukrainians tell their CIA handlers or was it something more sinister. Let’s start with the fact that the CIA tacitly admitted that, as the Russians claimed, 91 drones were shot down. If no drones had been launched — which the Russians already had debunked by showing the flight paths of each — then the CIA should have simply said, “No drones were launched.”

I think it is something potentially more sinister… Did the CIA know about the intended target because CIA personnel provided Ukraine with the targeting data? This may be the reason that the Russians are so furious about a drone attack that didn’t kill anyone.

Before introducing my appearances on two recent podcasts I want you to watch a short video that shows how much territory Russia has captured in 2025… Despite Western claims that Russia is creeping forward with great difficulty, the video tells a different story.

I closed out 2025 with Scott Horton, author of Provoked, and my brother from another mother, Garland Nixon:

 

Ep. 6203 - Larry Johnson on the Forces Pushing for More War in Ukraine - 12/29/25

Scott Horton

Dec 31, 2025 Most Recent Interviews
Scott interviews Larry Johnson about Ukraine’s alleged assassination attempt against Putin, why European leaders seem so set on continuing the war in Ukraine, Trump’s naval buildup near Venezuela, the risk of a terror attack in the US and more. Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/interviews/12...

LARRY C JOHNSON - UKRAINE'S DRONE MISCALCULATION - NEOCONS TARGET IRAN (AGAIN)

Summary

The video features Garland Nixon in conversation with Larry Johnson, discussing major geopolitical and military developments at the end of the year. The dialogue centers primarily on recent events in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including a significant drone attack near Putin’s residence, and broader implications for international power dynamics involving the US, Israel, Iran, Venezuela, and narcotics trafficking. Larry Johnson offers detailed analysis on the timing, actors, and potential consequences of the attempted assassination on Putin, suggesting it may have been orchestrated by Ukrainian neo-Nazi factions with possible British and CIA involvement. He highlights the likely miscalculation behind the attack, arguing it has provided Russia with justification to escalate military responses in Ukraine.

The conversation shifts to the deteriorating state of US intelligence, which now relies heavily on second-hand reports rather than direct sources, leading to misinformation about the war’s progress. Johnson critiques the US and its allies’ flawed foreign policy approach, particularly the naive belief that regime change (e.g., removing Maduro in Venezuela or Assad in Syria) will solve complex problems, likening Venezuela to “Vietnam” due to its difficult terrain and insurgent dynamics. They discuss the limitations of US military power, citing the recent failure to control Yemen and the challenges posed by armed groups in Venezuela and Iran.

The dialogue addresses protests in Iran, which Johnson argues are misrepresented by Western media to justify further aggression. He underscores Iran’s growing resilience and warns against neoconservative pushes for conflict escalation. Similarly, Israel’s military struggles against Hamas reveal the limits of conventional military power despite the country’s advanced capabilities. Johnson predicts ongoing instability and psychological toll on Israeli reservists, with no clear path to victory.

On the Ukraine front, Johnson provides sobering statistics about attrition rates, desertions, recruitment challenges, and Russia’s demographic advantages. He contrasts the patriotic volunteerism and public support behind Russian forces with the coercive, desperate measures in Ukraine, suggesting Ukraine’s military sustainability is in doubt. The conversation concludes with reflections on the flawed Western strategy of focusing on “getting rid of Putin” without a coherent plan for what comes next, warning that removing Putin could unleash a far more aggressive Russian leadership and catastrophic consequences.

Larry Johnson’s website, sonar21.com, is promoted as a valuable resource for ongoing analysis and alternative perspectives on these complex geopolitical issues.

Highlights

  • [02:00] 🚁 Drone attack near Putin’s residence coincided with Putin-Zelensky meeting, sparking major geopolitical tensions.
  • [07:20] ⚔️ The attack was a strategic blunder, giving Russia justification to escalate military operations against Ukraine.
  • [13:00] 🕵️‍♂️ US intelligence heavily reliant on foreign liaison reports, leading to misinformation about the war’s progress.
  • [20:00] 🌎 Venezuela compared to Vietnam in terms of military complexity and insurgent challenges for US intervention.
  • [32:00] 🛑 Iranian protests misrepresented by Western media to justify further aggression; Iranian government responding pragmatically.
  • [39:00] 🇮🇱 Israel’s military failing to defeat Hamas despite technological superiority, reflecting limits of military power.
  • [44:00] 📉 Ukraine facing severe attrition and recruitment problems; Russia benefits from greater population and patriotic volunteerism.

Key Insights

  • [02:18] 🚁 Timing and Actors Behind the Drone Attack: The drone strike on Putin’s residence during Putin-Zelensky talks likely involved Ukrainian neo-Nazi factions (Banderistas) with British and possible CIA support. Zelensky may not have authorized it, indicating fractured command in Kyiv and external influence. The attack was not just an assassination attempt but a political signal, complicating peace negotiations and escalating conflict.
  • [07:53] ⚔️ Strategic Miscalculation by Attackers: The perpetrators underestimated Russia’s willingness to retaliate decisively. Previous attacks had elicited limited response, but this high-profile attempt galvanized Kremlin and military leadership to intensify campaigns against Ukraine, potentially shifting the war’s trajectory. This misstep inadvertently unified Russian resolve.
  • [13:22] 🕵️‍♂️ Flaws in US Intelligence Gathering: The US now largely depends on intelligence from foreign partners, mainly Ukraine and Britain, rather than direct human sources. This reliance reduces the reliability of information, contributing to inflated narratives of Russian weakness and Ukrainian success. The lack of direct intelligence complicates accurate policy and public understanding.
  • [20:00] 🌎 US Intervention in Venezuela is a Quagmire: Venezuela’s vast geography, entrenched insurgency, and external support from Russia and China render US regime change ambitions unrealistic. Historical analogies to Vietnam emphasize the long-term cost and futility of military intervention aimed at simply removing a leader without addressing deeper societal and geopolitical complexities.
  • [33:22] 🛑 Western Media Distortion of Iranian Protests: Protests in Iran are largely economic and political disputes within factions rather than widespread anti-regime uprisings. The Iranian government’s engagement with protesters and economic reforms contradict the narrative of imminent collapse, suggesting Western media is pushing propaganda to justify further confrontation with Iran.
  • [39:07] 🇮🇱 Israel’s Military Struggles Reflect Broader Limits of Power: Despite advanced technology and manpower, Israel has failed to defeat Hamas after prolonged conflict. The psychological impact on reservists and the ongoing inability to secure decisive victories highlight the limitations of military force against asymmetric, ideological opponents embedded within civilian populations.
  • [44:30] 📉 Attrition and Demographic Challenges Undermining Ukraine’s War Effort: Ukraine is losing 60,000 to 80,000 soldiers monthly through casualties and desertions but can only recruit a fraction of that number. Russia’s larger population and reserves, combined with strong patriotic support and volunteerism, create a stark imbalance. Ukraine’s inability to train and equip new troops securely further compounds its military decline, suggesting a grim outlook for its sustained resistance.
  • [50:00] 👥 Removing Putin Could Backfire Dramatically: Putin is seen domestically as a relatively moderate and patient leader. His removal could lead to the rise of more aggressive figures like Medvedev, escalating the conflict and possibly triggering catastrophic retaliation. The Western strategy of “get rid of Putin” lacks foresight regarding potential consequences and risks destabilizing the region further.

This conversation provides a comprehensive, nuanced perspective on current geopolitical conflicts, highlighting the complexity of military strategy, intelligence reliability, and the pitfalls of interventionist policies. It underscores the need for realistic assessments and carefully calibrated diplomacy in an increasingly multipolar world.

Print this article [bws_pdfprint display=’print’]
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post, although, if we publish them, we obviously find them noteworthy and valuable. 

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License • 
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Russia is Treating the Latest Drone Attack on the Putin Residence as Something More Sinister Than Just Another Terrorist Attack

by Larry C. Johnson
written by Larry C. Johnson 2 Hrs 77 mins • Watch / read
Zelensky drone
Be sure to share these materials with friends, kin, and workmates.
Larry C. Johnsonsonar21
<• Choose your  language • Elija su idioma
Resize text-+=
 

Russia is Treating the Latest Drone Attack on the Putin Residence as Something More Sinister Than Just Another Terrorist Attack

by

The furious reaction of Russian officials, the Russian media and the Russian people to the news that Ukraine launched 91 drones at the official residence of Vladimir Putin in Novgorod is remarkable and ominous. While Ukraine continues to deny it carried out such an attack, the West has provided no evidence that rebuts Russia’s claim while the Russian Ministry of Defense has provided video evidence of destroyed drones.

Ukrainian officials, along with many supporters in the West, insist that this is a Russian false flag that Moscow is trying to use as an excuse to expand attacks against Ukraine or to justify ending negotiations to conclude the Special Military Operation. That is utterly ridiculous… Russia does not need a new terrorist attack to motivate it to intensify attacks on Ukraine or to terminate the Kabuki theater of finding a viable peace plan. You need only consider the previous Ukrainian-sponsored terrorist attacks that caused far more death and destruction than the latest failed drone attack targeting the official residence of President Putin. Moreover, this is not the first time that Ukraine tried to hit Putin with a drone attack… Remember the May 2023 attack on the Kremlin? Here is the list of the most prominent Ukrainian-sponsored terrorist attacks since 2022:

  1. Assassination of Darya Dugina (August 20, 2022) A car bomb in Moscow killed journalist and activist Darya Dugina (daughter of ultranationalist Alexander Dugin). Russia’s FSB accused Ukraine’s special services of orchestrating it, claiming a Ukrainian woman carried it out. Although Ukraine denied involvement US intelligence later assessed that elements within the Ukrainian government authorized it.
  2. Crimean Bridge Explosion (October 8, 2022) A truck bomb damaged the Kerch Bridge linking Russia to occupied Crimea, killing several civilians. Putin called it a “terrorist act” by Ukrainian services. Ukraine initially denied but later acknowledged responsibility for the attack, claiming the bridge as a legitimate military target.
  3. Nord Stream Pipelines Sabotage (September 26, 2022) Underwater explosions damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Russia accused Ukraine (or Western proxies) of terrorism to disrupt energy supplies. Investigations pointed to sabotage, with later reports (including German warrants) suspecting a Ukrainian team; Ukraine denied state involvement.
  4. Assassination Attempts on Pro-Russian Figures and Journalists Russia has labeled multiple killings or attempts (e.g., Vladlen Tatarsky in April 2023 café bombing; other bloggers/war correspondents) as Ukrainian terrorism.
  5. Drone and Sabotage Attacks on Infrastructure Russia routinely calls Ukrainian drone strikes on oil depots, refineries, airbases, and Moscow buildings “terrorist acts” (hundreds since 2022). Notable: May 2023 Kremlin drone incident (Russia claimed attempt on Putin).
  6. Border Incursions/Raids (e.g., Belgorod/Bryansk, 2023–2024) Cross-border raids by anti-Putin Russian partisans (e.g., Russian Volunteer Corps, operating from Ukraine) were branded terrorism by Russia, with claims of Ukrainian backing.
  7. Crocus City Hall Concert Attack (March 22, 2024) Gunmen killed 145+ in Moscow suburb. ISIS-K claimed full responsibility (verified by U.S./Western intelligence).
  8. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov (December 17, 2024): Head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops. Killed with his assistant by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment. Ukraine’s SBU claimed responsibility, calling him a “legitimate target” for alleged chemical weapons use. Russia classified it as terrorism.
  9. Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik (April 25, 2025): Deputy head of the General Staff’s main operational department. Killed by a car bomb near Moscow. Russia blamed Ukrainian services.
  10. In Bryansk Oblast(May 31, 2025) (near Vygonichi): A highway/road bridge exploded and collapsed onto railway tracks just as a passenger train (Klimovo–Moscow route, carrying ~388 passengers) was passing underneath. The debris crushed parts of the train, killing at least 7 people (including the driver) and injuring 66–113 others (reports vary, including children).
  11. Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov (December 22, 2025): Head of the General Staff’s army operational training directorate. Killed by a bomb under his car in southern Moscow. 

So why has this latest attack by Ukraine sparked such fury on the part of the Russians? This is something more than orchestrated outrage. I think it is a combination of factors, starting with the fact that the attack began while Ukraine’s Zelensky was meeting with Donald Trump for the ostensible purpose of trying to craft a peace proposal for Russia. Whether Zelensky was witting of the plan is not relevant. This was an attack planned and executed with the assistance of Western intelligence, possibly including the CIA, and the timing and the intended target removed any doubt on the part of the Russians that the West could not be trusted to negotiate an honest deal.

We still do not know if President Putin was at the residence… If he was, then it is not out of the question for the Russians to conclude that this was a deliberate attempt to kill Putin using the peace talks as a ruse. We will soon find out how pissed off the Russians are when they carry out their promise to retaliate. I believe Russia is planning something more dramatic than launching 1,000 missiles and drones at power plants and military targets in Ukraine… They have been doing that for more than two years.

Both Sergei Lavrov and Dmitry Peskov have publicly accused Western/NATO systems of enabling the Ukrainian strikes. At a minimum I think that makes any Western or NATO advisors now inside Ukraine likely targets of a Russian response. I think we will know the Russian response by Monday.

Meanwhile, I was honored with an invitation to appear yesterday (Tuesday) on the podcast hosted by Viva Frei and Robert Barnes. I also was interviewed by Glenn Diesen. And i closed out 2025 with my friend, Daniel Davis:

ABOVE: Larry Johnson: Russia Will Retaliate After Attack on Putin's Residence

Glenn Diesen

Dec 31, 2025
Larry Johnson is a former intelligence analyst at the CIA who also worked at the US State Department's Office of Counterterrorism. Johnson outlines why the attack on Putin's residence was a bridge too far.

ABOVE: Live with former CIA Analyst Larry Johnson from the CIA to Russia and Beyond!

Premiered Dec 31, 2025
 
 

 

ABOVE: Ukraine's Problems Have NO Fixes /Larry Johnson & Lt Col Daniel Davis

Daniel Davis / Deep Dive
Streamed live on Dec 31, 2025
 

I thank you for your invaluable support by taking time to read or comment. I do not charge a subscription fee nor do I accept advertising. I want the content to be accessible to everyone interested in the issues I am discussing. However, if you wish to make a donation, please see this link.

Print this article [bws_pdfprint display=’print’]
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post, although, if we publish them, we obviously find them noteworthy and valuable. 

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License • 
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

The US Can’t Break Russia

by Larry C. Johnson
written by Larry C. Johnson Approx 1 Hr 04 mins • Watch / read
GREAT RUSSIAN BEAR
Be sure to share these materials with friends, kin, and workmates.
Larry C. Johnson

sonar21

<• Choose your  language • Elija su idioma
Resize text-+=
 

The US Can’t Break Russia

by 142 Comments

GREAT RUSSIAN BEAR

During my recent sojourn in Russia, a common theme from the people I interviewed was the failure of the West to comprehend that Russia is NOT dependent on international trade… Russia is self-sufficient in all critical natural resources. It looks like the US intelligence community (IC) is slowly beginning to grasp this, although most of the IC continues to falsely assert that Russia is suffering massive casualties and facing an economic collapse.

The CIA has proven itself to be the most delusional of the agencies that fall under the umbrella of the IC. Earlier this year, the CIA was at odds with the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (aka INR). A report this week from NBC highlighted the rosy scenario being spun by the CIA since Trump took over:

CIA assessments have sometimes been optimistic about the prospect of finding common ground with the Russian leadership, according to two former officials. 

Beginning early in the administration, U.S. officials requested numerous secret assessments and briefings from intelligence analysts about the Ukraine issue to determine Putin’s goals in Ukraine and gauge his willingness to negotiate the war’s conclusion, according to the people familiar with the issue.

CIA analysts, in response to the administration’s requests, produced assessments concluding that Trump could find opportunities to negotiate with Putin, according to several people who viewed the reports. 

A tip-of-the-hat to INR for getting it right early on:

The State Department’s internal intelligence agency cast doubt earlier this year on the notion that Russian President Vladimir Putin was prepared to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, dissenting from a more optimistic Central Intelligence Agency assessment of potential talks, according to several current and former officials.

Analysts at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, known as INR, expressed this opposing view in assessments and briefings in the months leading up to President Trump’s August meeting with his Russian counterpart in Anchorage, Alaska. The dissent also appeared in the President’s Daily Brief, according to the current and former officials.

And how did Trump react to the dose of cold water from INR? According to a March article in the Washington Post, President Trump was not happy:

Some of the U.S. assessments on Putin’s intransigence have appeared to irk Trump, another person familiar with the matter said. Indeed, Trump and his aides in recent days have raised the prospect of stiff new sanctions on Russia if it refuses to agree to end the war. They have not specified what those sanctions would be, though Trump on Wednesday said they “could be devastating.”

As Yogi Berra once remarked, “This is deja vu all over again.” I once was on the receiving end of Presidential unhappiness with intelligence analysis that contradicted the White House beliefs about a favored policy, so I can readily empathise with the pressure coming down on the INR analysts. RBC-Ukraine provided additional details this week on INR’s attempt to swim against the conventional wisdom in Washington:

WSJ also reports that in the spring of 2025, the head of the State Department told analysts during staff meetings that ongoing disagreements were undermining INR’s credibility among administration officials. Then, in July, three analysts working in the Russia–Eurasia group were dismissed, and another analyst resigned.

The State Department shut down the intelligence office that worked with private-sector experts, as well as another one responsible for declassifying intelligence for sharing with allies, former employees said. The department also merged the INR groups for Europe and for Russia and Eurasia, and several Europe analysts were either laid off or reassigned.

There is a determined group of politicians and analysts who insist that the US and NATO can apply sufficient pressure on Vladimir Putin that he will be compelled to accept a ceasefire:

Ukrainian officials, European governments and Kyiv’s supporters in Congress have repeatedly urged Trump to exert pressure on Russia through arms shipments and sanctions to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire and peace negotiations. The announcement of sanctions on Russian oil companies was the first time Trump has followed through on threats to introduce economic penalties against Moscow.

The new sanctions on Russia, Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia’s oil and gas facilities and European efforts to provide more weapons to Kyiv’s forces could alter the Kremlin’s calculations over time, according to European diplomats, former U.S. intelligence officials and experts.

Ain’t gonna happen. It is time for President Trump and his national security team to wake up and accept the fact that there is nothing the West can do to alter Russia’s stated intention to de-militarise and de-nazify Ukraine… NOTHING! The only deal that Russia will entertain is what Putin presented last year to the Russian Foreign Ministry. On June 14, 2024, President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia would end the war in Ukraine only if Kyiv ceded the entirety of four regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—to Russian control and formally renounced any intention to join NATO. Putin demanded that Ukraine withdraw its military from these regions within their full administrative borders (including areas not currently occupied by Russian forces), formalise its neutrality, and accept demilitarisation. He also insisted that Western countries lift sanctions against Russia as part of any settlement.

For some unknown reason, the CIA analysts are ignoring what Putin and the rest of his government have been saying for more than a year. But the deluded analysts are only part of the problem… Donald Trump and his national security team continue to labor under the illusion that the the United States has leverage over Russia and can force Putin to acquiesce to the West. Ain’t gonna happen!

I had a great chat with Danny Davis today… We discussed Russia, Ukraine and the new crisis brewing with Venezuela:

˛

Subscribe

Print this article [bws_pdfprint display=’print’]
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post, although, if we publish them, we obviously find them noteworthy and valuable. 

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License • 
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Larry C. Johnson: Conspiracies about Charlie Kirk SHATTERED – WAR w/ Russia & Iran on the Horizon

by Larry C. Johnson
written by Larry C. Johnson Approx. 1 Hr 9 mins • Watch / read
Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
Nima R. Alkhorshid
Nima AlkhorshidDIALOGUE WORKS
chats with
LARRY C. JOHNSON
Traducir—Translate!
Make fonts bigger>>>
Resize text-+=
 

Larry C. Johnson: Conspiracies about Charlie Kirk SHATTERED - WAR w/ Russia & Iran on the Horizon

Dialogue Works
Streamed live Sep 29, 2025

BEFORE you leave, PLEASE pay attention to this alert.
[t4b-ticker id="1"]

Print this article [bws_pdfprint display=’print’]
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post, although, if we publish them, we obviously find them noteworthy and valuable. 

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License • 
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail